Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Lebanon has left elderly people especially vulnerable and without essential medicine, food, and fuel for heating as winter approaches, Islamic Relief aid workers report.

The bombing has disrupted supply chains, forced health centres to close, and pushed up prices. Many older people have told us they can no longer get medicine for serious conditions such as high blood pressure, epilepsy and heart problems, and are having to make impossible choices as a result.

In the Bekaa valley in eastern Lebanon, where there has been a massive surge in Israeli bombing and forced displacement over the past few weeks, many older people told us they now have to:

• Borrow money and go into crippling debt just to buy essential medicine. In some areas the price of blood pressure medication has increased by around 167%.
• Skip meals, buy less food, or go without heating, as that’s the only way they can afford to buy medicine.
• Skip critical doctor visits and health checks as many clinics have closed down and medical costs have increased.
• Switch to cheaper but much lower quality local medication, which is less effective and puts their health at risk.

Older people are also at especially grave risk from Israel’s so-called ‘evacuation orders’ – which in reality are forced displacement orders – demanding that civilians abandon their homes. These often give civilians just a moment’s notice to pack up and move, forcing older people with mobility challenges to walk miles or squeeze into dangerously overcrowded buses and trucks.

Lebanon has one of the oldest populations in the Middle East, with around 11% of the population over 65 years old. More than 100,000 elderly people are now among the 1.4 million people who have been displaced from their homes by Israeli attacks. Thousands of them are now sheltering in awful conditions in crowded shelters, without proper beds or access to toilets.

67-year-old Walid Al Ali, in the Bekaa Valley, told Islamic Relief: “The current situation is so bad. My wife and I have high blood pressure and we need medication for it. But prices are high and increasing every day – the medicine used to cost 300,000 lira and now it’s 800,000 lira. I am trying to cope with the situation by reducing the amount of food I eat and taking loans to pay for medication. I’ve had to stop my regular blood tests and health check-ups because I can’t afford it. Now I constantly feel tired. My priority now is to ensure we have enough fuel to heat our home, because winter is coming and I am feeling cold. I have displaced people staying in my house (from the bombing) so the situation has become even more expensive.”

Mohammed Farhat, 71, says: “I have blood diseases and high cholesterol. The problem is the high prices… I now have to take alternative medicine, not the original one I used to take. It’s local or Syrian medicine which is less effective than the type I was taking before. I can’t do blood tests or scans – I used to do them in Beirut but I fear travelling now because Israel is bombing everywhere.”

The rising costs of food and fuel are putting further strain on older people as winter approaches – when night-time temperatures drop close to freezing in some parts of the country. In the Bekaa valley food prices have increased by 40–60% and a tank of fuel to heat a household has escalated from $14 to $18.5.

Farah Saifan, an Islamic Relief project officer in the Bekaa valley, says: “In their old age people should be able to rest, stay safe in one place, take medication, and stay with their family and loved ones. But many older people in Lebanon are now lost… the cold weather, rising costs, lack of medication and fuel shortages are all taking a massive toll.”

“We’re seeing older people at increasing risk of dehydration, malnutrition, serious illness, injury and death. Yet the needs and rights of older people are usually forgotten at times like this. Older people aren’t getting the daily medication they need to manage chronic health conditions and are extremely vulnerable as winter approaches and more families are forced from their homes.”

Almost all older people are now living in poverty and most have no income as the bombing has shut down industries and small businesses and forced people from their land. They are now almost entirely dependent on aid agencies for food, medicine and other essential support.

Many older people are also now suffering severe emotional trauma triggered by the painful memories of previous wars with Israel since the 1970s. Some told us they lost relatives in those wars, but are much more fearful this time. When Islamic Relief staff asked them to describe the differences with previous wars, most said the bombing now is far more destructive and aggressive, killing civilians and destroying entire villages.

Walid says a major airstrike hit just 200 metres away from him in the Bekaa valley: “This war is harder than before… Israel is bombing everywhere and every time with no humanity. I’m afraid and I don’t feel safe.”

Across Lebanon more than 3,000 people have now been killed and around 14,000 wounded in Israeli attacks. Islamic Relief is delivering aid and assistance across Lebanon, including to many older people and their families. It has so far distributed more than 18,000 food packs, 2,000 hot meals, 6,480 hygiene kits, 2,585 blankets, 1,963 mattresses, and over 17,000 medical supplies.